Railway semaphore-signal.



'PATEN'EB AUG. 71, 1905.

E. ABER.

SEL Hummm FILM Dm?. wos.

2 SHEETS-SHEET L-V A PATLNTLD AUG. 21, 1906.

H. M. ABBRNLTHY. RAILWAY SEMAPHORL SIGNAL.

APPLIGATION FILED DB0. 7, 190s. 2 SHBLTSFSHLLT 2.

nals, of which the following is `a specification.

` that should the operating mechanism become `UNITED STATES PATENT onirica.

HARRY M. ABERNETHY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN RAILWAY SIGNAL COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO,

A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

RAILWAY sEmAPHoRE-SIGNAL.

Patented Aug. 21, 1906.

To all whom it :mty concern:

v Be it known that I, HARRY M. ABERNETHY, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railway Semaphore-Sig- This invention relates to, railway-signals of thesemaphore type and one of the iprincipal objects of the same is to provide a signal of this character in which the semaphore casting and blade and the lamp are all on one side of the post or support. f

Another ob'ect is to provide a semaphoresignal in which-the weight of the casting and blade exert a stress having a tendency to throw the arm to the danger position in order broken or injured the blade would fall by gravityv to dan er position.l Owing tothe accumulation ofsnow and ice on the casting and blade of semaphore-signals during the winter, the smooth and reliableo eration of these signals is materiallyV inter ered with. It has been one of the o ,'ects lof my invention to so pivot the blade tllat any. accumulation of snow or ice on the blade wouldy have a tendency to throw the blade down to a horizontal or danger position by meansv ofthe eight of the accumulation added to the Another object of my invention is to rovide a signal in which the casting and b ade are located upon one side of a in such a manner that the blade will dro to danger by gravity and must be lifte to f caution or safety by some operative means.' In other words, the blade is operated bygravity from safety to caution post or support i or danger, while to bring the blade from danger7 to l caution or "safety requires suflicient force to lift the blade or to swing itr I upon its pivotal point. l f

The objects and advantages referred to are attained by means of the construction illus-` trated.l in -the accompanying drawings, in Which-'- Fi ure 1 is a side eleya't'ion of a semaphoresigna made in accordance with my invention and mounted upon a hollow ost or standard, the blade beingv shown in full lines in danger position and-in dotted lines at caution and safety Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on a line through the pivotal point of the blade. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, the

position to inhas a tubular portion 4, having upper and if lower extended ends 5,said tubular portion being iitted upon and properly secured to the hollow post 1 near its upper end 6. The casting 3 is provided with a laterally-extending hollow portion 7, to which the spectacle-case is pivotally connected upon the squared end of a short shaft 8 which passes through said hollow portion 7. Upon the shaft Swithin the hollow portion 7 is a quadrant-sheave9,`

sheave extending` in the hollow part'ofthe.-

vpost tov a point about central the vertical plane thereof. The curved outer face of the sheave is rooved or provided with side flanges, and connected to the upper end. of said sheave inthe groove is a cham or cable 10, which extends down through the post and around a pulley 11, journaled within the lower end of the post,said chain or cable passing thence out through a hole 12 and laterally to an operating-lever 13, extendingv through a rack 14, having'a scale thereon to indicate the positions of the semaphoreblade. n p

The spectacle-case comprises a skeletonalso fitted to a squared part of shaft. 8, said' frame having three circular openings forjthe 9o colored and plain signal-glasses ab c and an extended bracket 15 on one side for the blade 16 and one, -17 on the opposite side forthe pivotal point of the spectacle-case and blade.

The ass a may be Ied for the danger-sig'- 95 nal, t

e glass b may be yellow or greenyfcr caution, and the glass c may be'plain rf p colored for safety, .and these glasses kare arranged radially to the pivotal pointQso each will occupy'a position centrally' the same horizontal lane therewith.

It is to be noted t at when the bladell in avertical position to indicate a clear tracker safety said blade occupies a plane parallel tothepost and that all the weight of the arm and lspectacle-case is supported 'by the chain or cable 10, which is held by the lever 13 against the natural tendency of the blade to the blade would drop to danger position and remain in this4 position until repairs were'` completed. The two angular sides of the sheave 9 provide means for stopping the' blade at the two limits of its movement, and lugs or projections 18 may be formed on the bracket or casting 7, against which the sheave may come to a stop.-

For operating the blade by hand in case of derangement of the main operating mechanism I may connect a rod 19 to the hole 2O in the spectacle-case and operate said rod by means of a bell-crank or other conventional means. f

It will be understood that the signal may be operated by any suitable means other than that shown, as by electricity or other power.

It is to be noted that the semaphore-casting is pivoted at the lowerinner corner when i d,Allie..lilwe..isnina safetypnsition and that there is a constant stresslir tendency of the blade to fall to the danger position horizontal to the post. This tendency is only counteracted by the downward pull upon the chain or cable 10, and should lthe chain or cable break the, blade 16 would instantly fall to a danger position. Any accumulation of ice or snow upon any part of the devicewhile the blade is in safety position would only add more weight and tendency to the blade to assume the danger position. This is owing to the relative disposition ofthe pivotal point of the casting-namely, at the lower inner cornerthefexcesfof weight being above and at one side 40 .;isaid pivotal point when the blade is in a v 'iirtical or safety position.

From the fare oing it will be obvious that accumulations o snow or ice upon any part of the arm,I or spectacle-case at whatever position the'same may occupy during or aftera storm wil only accentuae the tendency of the blade to fall to the danger position, owing to the added Weight at the blade side of the pivotal point.

The details of construction may be varied and the proportions and relative arrangement of parts may be changed without departing from the spirit or materiallyl affectingAthe scope of my invention. I

hat I desire to secure by Letters Patent and claim is 1. A signal comprising a post, a casting secured to the post and having a bracket pro- VV...jiliiting'mt(inne side thereof, a spectacle-case pivotally connected to said bracket at a point at one side of the post and at the lower inner corner of the'spectacle-case, when the latter is in the safety position, to insure apreponderanceoweightabove and at one side of lsaid pivotal point when theblade is in safety position, and means for raising said blade from its lower or danger position to a position to indicate caution or to a position to indicate a clear track.

2. A signal pivotally mounted u on a post at a point to insure a prepon eraiice of .weight above and at one side of said pivotal point when the blade is in safety position,

said blade being adapted to fall to a danger ,position by gravity, and said blade and spectacle-case .beingdisposed atl one side oi the post'in all its several indicating positions, and means for shifting said signal to indicate the required signals.

3. A Signal vcomprising a hollow post, a

casting secured theretoiand proj ectin to one.

side t ereof, `a spectacle-case pivotaly connected to the projecting portion of said casting, and disposed at one'side of said post at all positions of said spectacle-case, a plurality of glasses .in said spectacle-case located l s radially to the pivotal point of said spectaclecase, a blade connected to' said spectaclecase, and means vfor stopping said blade' at its danger position, and means for moving said blade to other position.

4. A signal pivoted at its lower inner corner when in the safety position to normally assume the danger position by gravity, a

spectacle-casev having a plurality of radially-v arranged glasses, anarm or blade connected to said spectacle-case, a quadrant-sheave, and means for moving said sheave on its ,ivot' to change the position of said arm or blade, andV means' for securing said arm or blade in adjusted position.

`5. In a railway-signal of that type in which the semaphore-blade is disposed in a vertical position at one side of-its supporting structure to indicate safety and to fall by gravity to its other indicatin positions, the Y combination of a spectacleame, a blade connected thereto, the frame being pivoted to its support in such a manner that said frame and blade will remain at one side of the support during all the indicating positions.

6. A railway-signal including a support, a spectacle-frame and blade'pivoted to said support and projected upward to a verticall position when indicating safety, the frame and blade being arranged coiistantlyto one side of the vertical plane of the pivotal point of said frame.

7. In a signal, al spectacle-case provided with a plurality of glasses, a blade connected to one side of said glasses, a frame extending from the op osite side of said glasses, and provided wit means for pivotally mounting 'said frame upon a support, and means for the connection of auxiliary means for operating said spectacle-case on its pivot.

HARRY M. ABERNETHY.

In presence of' W. S. BIDLE,

H. D. ABERN'ETHY. 

